Beyond The Shadows
by VinylScratch2006
Summary: It's the second semester at Beacon Academy, and 4 transfer students from Signal Academy arrive looking to prove that they are the top team at Beacon, but along the way, one student confronts his past and an oncoming war will bring him face to face with another person long forgotten.
1. New Students

Chapter One- New Students

_"My name is Diesel Artorias, and I am a hunter. Together with my sister Orchid, we always dreamed of being warriors. We attended Signal Academy for two years, along with our friends Crimson and Rebecca Maxwell who are also related. _

_We all received top grades in our classes and before our education there was over we met the headmaster of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin, who offered us the chance to attend the prestigious school. All of us were on board except for Rebecca, who didn't want to leave her old friends behind. But after some persuasion from the three of us, she decided that being without her brother was more important. So we took his offer, and before we knew it, we were ordered to pack and hop on the next transport ship to Beacon Academy."_

"Diesel, hey brother wake up! We're here!" said Orchid.

Diesel opened his eyes and took his first look out the window at Beacon Academy.

"Sure is bigger than we thought huh?" said Orchid

"It looks bigger on the brochure cover."Crimson said. He had his hands behind his head. When the ship came to rest Crimson stood up from his chair and collected his gear from the overhead bin.

"Are you sure this place is going to be right for us?" Rebecca asked. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and gripped her sword tight.

"You guys think we ready for this?" asked Diesel.

"I think we were already ready the second Professor Ozpin came to Signal Academy to look for new students." said Orchid confidently.

"What do you think Crimson?" asked Diesel as the four walked off the ship

Crimson didn't answer and just stared intently off into the distance. His thoughts raced with the opportunities that awaited them. But as he looked to the left, a girl with black hair caught his attention.

"I know that girl." Crimson mumbled, narrowing his eyes.

"Know who?" Diesel asked. Crimson pointed towards a group of girls in front of them.

Walking in front of them were four girls - one with black hair, gray eyes, and a black combat skirt, wearing a red cape for some reason. The other standing next to her was a blue eyed, white haired girl with a snow- colored combat skirt. Next to her was a tall blonde, with a brown jacket, black shorts, and brown boots. And finally, the girl that Crimson was staring so intently at: jet black hair, black vest, and black bow in her hair. The black haired girl sensed a presence and turned her head. Her smiling face turned grim when her eyes met Crimson's.

"That girl's got eyes for you, Crimson," Rebecca noticed. "What, is she your ex-girlfriend?" Crimson answered by glaring at his sister.

"Geez, I was just joking." said Rebecca, who lowered her head. Before Crimson reached the quartet, the chime of the school's PA system drew their attention.

"My I have your attention please," a female voice said over the loudspeaker. "All students please report to the auditorium."

The group of students made their way students towards the students took their seats. Rebecca and Orchid sat together towards the back. Diesel and Crimson, on the other hand, followed Blake and her friends and sat behind them. Crimson gently patted the red-caped girl on her head.

"Who- Oh my God!" Ruby shouted.

"Hi Ruby." Crimson smiled and waved.

"Hey Ruby, been a while hasn't it?" said Diesel.

"Diesel! Crimson! What are you two doing here?!" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Ruby, do you know these two?" asked the girl in white, turning around.

"Of course I do, Weiss! These are my two closest friends from Signal!" said Ruby.

"Wow Ruby, I didn't know you had such a cute friend." The blonde-haired girl said as she looked over Crimson. His hair was cut short. His brown eyes gently glowed in the light behind his thick framed glasses. When he noticed Yang's gaze, Crimson's lips turned into a gentle smile.

"Ruby, shouldn't you introduce us to your 'friends?' Weiss rolled her eyes. She didn't seem to trust these two.

"Oh, Sorry. Yang, Blake, Weiss, this is Crimson and Diesel. Crimson, Diesel, this is my sister, Yang. I told you about her." Yang waved, but just at Crimson. "Next to her are my new friends, Weiss and..."

"Blake Belladonna." Crimson said nonchalantly.

"You know Blake?!" Ruby asked excitedly. Blake looked away at the mention of her name.

"Me and her have history. Let's just leave it at that," Crimson said darkly.

"Oh….Did you guys date?" asked Weiss.

"Hell no. My brother has higher standards than that.." Rebecca chided, making Blake grit her teeth.

"Rebecca, shut up." Crimson growled. "No, we did not date...not that I'd want to, anyway."

Diesel just looked at them, feeling the storm brewing between the three of them. He tries to calm everyone down. "Guys, stop it, you can settle your feud after the meeting."

Just then, the room quiets as an older woman with blonde hair walks onto the stage. Her green eyes were covered by a pair of glasses. The only thing out of place was the riding crop she held her right hand.

" For those that don't know me, my name is Glynda Goodwitch. I am one of the teachers here at Beacon. I would like to welcome all of our second semester and long term students back. For our first semester and transfer students, I would like to congratulate you on being accepted into the most prestigious school for Hunters and Huntresses in the nation. Not only that, but you will have a chance to compete in the annual Vytal festival combat tournament. Before you can enter, we will have a review of the rules of the tournament. To that end, I need two volunteers."

"I got two for you." Crimson stood up and yelled. "Myself, and Blake Belladonna."

"Excuse me?!" Blake stood up, her amber eyes full of rage.

"Thank you, Mr…?" Miss Goodwitch struggled to match the student's face to a name.

"Maxwell. Crimson Maxwell, ma'am." Crimson stood, clutching the bag he'd brought with him in his right hand.

"Right. Well, Mr. Maxwell, do try to allow your classmates to volunteer themselves, next time." Miss Good Witch said, straightening her glasses. "Mrs. Belladonna, Mr. Maxwell, please go and prepare your respective weapons and then come to the stage."

Weiss took her team leader aside. "Ruby, shouldn't we stop her?"She said, nodding to Blake. Weiss was right to be concerned. While Blake didn't show it, her gaze was fixed intently on Crimson with murderous intent.

"Don't worry Weiss, they'll be fine." Ruby said, patting her friend on the back. Blake got up from her seat. "I'm not the one you should be worried about." At the same time, Diesel was trying to reason with Crimson.

"Umm, Crimson, I don't know what you're planning to do, but don't turn this friendly battle into a vendetta." Diesel said.

"No promises." Crimson quipped. His mind was already made up on how this battle would go.

"I'm worried about him. I've never seen him this angry before." said Rebecca to Diesel.

"Don't worry, I don't think Blake will give him too much trouble." said Diesel.

Yang laughed. "Don't be too sure about that. You don't know her like we do."

Diesel frowned. "I am curious, though, as to what is the problem those two have with each other. Whatever it is something that has been brewing between them for a long time. This isn't something that a little combat spar is gonna solve." thought Diesel.

After a few moments, the two combatants returned to the room. Blake's Gambol Shroud was secured to her back, while Crimson entered while wearing his Saffron Aero: a pair of white gauntlets, with three long blades running from each hand to just past his elbow. On the wall above them were two screens, each which displayed a green bar below their portrait.

"I hope Crimson can control his emotions." said Orchid

"My brother? Control?" Rebecca snorted. "He's a lit match in a room full of dust rounds."

"He's enough of a loose cannon as it is, and whatever the problem is he has with Blake, we may see him hit the breaking point."

"What is the problem between those two anyway?" asked Ruby

"Only he and Blake know Ruby; Crimson isn't one to reveal his personal problems to anyone. Even someone who's been as close to him as I have." said Diesel.

WIth Blake and Crimson on the platform, Miss Goodwitch explains the rules of the match. "Now that are participants are back, this would be a good time to explain the procedure. As you all know, the aura of your soul protects you from damage, but it is not an indefinite shield. The green bar below the fighters' pictures is the visual representation of how much damage has been absorbed by their aura. On my signal, the two will fight until one bar has dropped to the red. Whoever's bar reaches the red first, loses. Have I made my self clear?"

"Yes ma'am." Blake and Crimson said quickly.

"Okay then, get ready..." Miss Goodwitch said.

Saffron Aero whirred with mechanical clanking as the blades flipped down into position over his knuckles. Crimson took his stance, with right foot forward, his left hand up near his chin, and right hand extended out. Blake took position with Gambol Shroud in her right hand. For the second time that day, Blake and Crimson locked eyes.

"And…" Mrs. Goodwitch commanded. The tension between the two radiated throughout the auditorium. To the naked eye, it would seem that these two were readying for a battle to the death, not have a friendly exhibition match.

Miss Goodwitch raised her riding crop into the air, and the room went silent. Rebecca clasped her hands together and began mumbling a prayer for her brother's safety.

Diesel and Orchid looked on, while Weiss, Ruby and Yang quietly spoke to each other.

"I think we should stop this. This doesn't look like a competitive match…" said Ruby

"Blake will be fine." Yang waved her sister's worry away. "Besides, I don't think Crimson will really hurt Blake….will he?"

"If only you knew…" Muttered Rebecca

"And what is THAT supposed to mean?" asked Weiss, putting her hands on her hips.

"I don't like this either," said Diesel. "Crimson looks as if he's gonna rip Blake's head off."

"Brother, you have to stop them!" said Orchid

"I wish I could," said Diesel.

With a swipe of the crop, and a shout, the powder keg was finally lit. "BEGIN!"

Crimson and Blake clashed blades and stared at each other with killer intent They pushed against one another, before breaking apart. Once freed, Crimson stepped forward and let loose a fury of swipes, but all of them where blocked by Blake's sword.

Crimson's reckless strikes left him open, and Blake took full advantage. She separated blade from sheath and stabbed forward into Crimson's midsection. Pressing her advantage, Blake slammed the sheath of her weapon into his chest, then landed an uppercut on Crimson's chin.

Crimson fell back but instantly leaped forward with both claws forward, catching Blake off guard. With his forward momentum he rolled through, knocking Blake to the ground. As he rose, Crimson grabbed hold of Blake and lifted her up, then slammed her down hard. He then jumped on top and stabbed both claws into her chest, before pulling his claws out and swiping them across her body.

Blake cried out in pain, landed two hard punches square on his nose, then push-kicked Crimson away. Before Crimson could recover, Blake dashed forward, and put her speed to work. She used Gambol Shroud's sheath and katana itself in tandem, whirling them as if they were still one before her. Before Crimson could regroup, she jumped back, and switched Gambol Shroud into it's chain scythe mode.

"Blake isn't pulling any punches. She's taking this just as seriously as Crimson is, but smarter." said Diesel.

"What do you mean?" asked Yang.

"Look at her, it looks like she's barely broken a sweat against Crimson." said Diesel.

"He's right. Look at the aura bars. Blake's is still almost full while Crimson's is already yellow." said Weiss.

" Yeah, cause she's trying to wear Crimson out. The bad part about it is...it's working." said Diesel.

Crimson steadied himself and went back on the charge, but as he went forward Blake swung the scythe around and landed a hard strike into his left side, sending him into the wall. Crimson stumbled back to his feet just as Blake pulled Gambol Shroud back by the chain, then swung the scythe upward. The blunt end of it knocked Crimson off of his feet and into the air. She pulled the chain back one more time and let it fly. This time it wrapped around Crimson's right arm, and flung him into the floor.

"Alright you two, that's enough!" Miss Goodwitch yelled.

"I ain't finished yet!" Crimson roared, and pulled hard on the rope wrapped around his arm. He pulled Blake off balance and sprinted forward with a deafening cry. He drove Saffron Aero's blades straight towards her neck. Blake raised her sheath to block and the blow sent her flying back. However, she quickly gathered herself and whipped her chain to the side. The move pulled Crimson's left arm out straight and allowed her to rescue Gambol Shroud from his grip. She combined both sheath and scythe again, and sprinted forward aiming for Crimson's heart. Crimson smirked, side stepped her, and brought his right hand across his body…

"Ohhhh...shit…" Rebecca said, sensing what was coming.

"BITCH..." Crimson shouted as he backhanded Blake across the face. "PLEASE!" he raised his arm and faced his palm down, spiking Blake into the ground.

"Whoa..." Yang mumbled

"Is he trying to take her head off?! This has to stop, now!" Weiss said. She tried shaking Ruby's shoulder to get her to respond, but she was too stunned to move.

Crimson smirked. Blake laid face down on the ground, seemingly lifeless. "Worthless child." He scoffed, and turned to walk away. But as he did, Blake began to stir, and struggle back to her feet.

"Is that...all you can muster?" Blake smirked, despite panting hard. She raised her blade again, and Crimson did the same.

"Okay this has gone on far enough!" said Mrs. Goodwitch who blasted them both backwards with a spell.

The auditorium was in stunned silence, everyone's eyes fixed squarely on the bars representing each fighter's Aura. Both bars were dangerously in the red.

"This was supposed to be an exhibition! Not a fight to the death! I don't know what is wrong with the both of you, But i will not tolerate such blatant disregard." Mrs. Goodwitch's scolding was interrupted with the sound of a solitary round of applause from the back of the room. Everyone's heads turned on the person, who turned out to be none other than the school's headmaster, Ozpin.

"That was quite the exhibition, you two." Ozpin said appreciatively.

" Exhibition?! Two students nearly murdered each other!" Miss Goodwitch cried.

"That they did, yet they showed quite the bit of restraint in not doing so." Ozpin said as he descended the stairs towards the arena. The two fighters were still staring each other down, their breathing ragged, and sweat pouring off the both of them

"Miss Goodwitch, would you mind escorting Mr. Maxwell and Mrs. Belladonna to my office?" Ozpin addressed her calmly. "I need to speak with them in private."

"Yes sir." Miss Goodwitch sighed.

"Oh, and confiscate their weapons. We don't want any incidents during their journey." said Ozpin. he then turned to the students watching before speaking again. "That concludes today's meeting, you all are free to do what you will for the remainder of the day.

Before leaving, Miss Goodwitch faced team RWBY and DRCO. "The rest of Team RWBY and Team DRCO are confined to their rooms until the meeting with your teammates has concluded."

"What did WE do?" Rebecca groaned

"Miss Maxwell, do not question me at this time. Now away with you all. You'll be able to return in time for dinner." Miss Goodwitch said sternly.

"Your brother is a reprobate " Weiss mumbled as she passed Rebecca.

"What the fuck did you say!?" Rebecca growled as she grabbed Weiss by the arm.

"You heard me," Weiss sniffed.

"Alright you two, enough. Let's just go to our rooms and calm down." Diesel ordered, pushing Rebecca and Weiss apart.

"Umm, Miss Goodwitch, where IS our room?" Orchid asked.

" Room 406." Miss Goodwitch replied before waving her riding crop at Blake and Crimson, making their weapons disappear.

"OOH! I think we're across the hall! We can show you where it is!" said Ruby

Yang looked back and saw Blake and Crimson being escorted to Ozpin's office.

Yang's eyes wandered over Crimson's body as they walked by. "I wonder if he's single…"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Move it, Yang, before we get into even MORE trouble," said Weiss.

"Coming!" said Yang, giggling.

The students began filing out of the auditorium. The remaining team members of team RWBY and DRCO started to walk from the assembly hall towards the dormitories.

"So...Orchid…" Yang asked to break the silence. "You and your friends went to Signal with Ruby, huh?"

"Yeah.. I didn't have many classes with her though." Orchid said quietly. " Diesel and Crimson saw her more than I did." Orchid said quietly.

"Ah...So Diesel, what did you think of my little sister? She's cute, right?" Yang asked mischievously.

"Hey!" Ruby turned her head towards her sister with a disapproving glance.

"What?!" Yang giggled. "It's a fair question."

Diesel chuckled. "She's cute, but I have my eyes on someone else." He said.

"Ooooooh, do tell." Yang chided.

"Someone here at the school." Diesel said quickly.

"Well that narrows it down." Yang said sarcastically. Before Diesel could reply, Ruby stopped and spun around , holding her hands up above her head as they had reached the dorms.

"We're here!" Ruby said in a sing song voice.

The dormitory was one of several on the campus used to house the students of Beacon academy. They entered the large brick building, and ascended the stairs to the fourth floor. They walked down the hallway, and made the first left to enter the corridor where their rooms were.

Just as they approached the door for team RWBY, the door to across from it opened. A tall girl with a long red ponytail stuck her head out, with worry in her deep green eyes. "There you all are, is everything alright?!." said JNPR member Pyrrha.

"We're fine, Blake is a different story. ." Ruby sighed, shaking her head.

Where is Blake? Did she get hurt bad?" asked Pyrrha.

"No, she looked fine considering. But her and Crimson got called to the principal's office." Said Yang.

"Wait...why?!" asked Pyrrha.

Weiss spoke up. "Because THEIR friend -" she jabbed a finger at the remainder of Team DRCO, "showed up and decided to turn a simple Aura demonstration into a Death Match!"

"Hey! TAKE THAT BACK!" Rebecca snapped, while Orchid moved in to hold her back. Diesel actually nodded his head; it was kind of true, after all.

"I will NOT take it back! They just got here, and have already made a big mess of things!" said Weiss. She stalked into Team RWBY's bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

"Um, should we go...calm her down?" Ruby asked her sister.

"Yeah, we should before she destroys our room with her anger." Yang said and turned to enter their room.

"We'll talk to you guys later." Ruby waved to her friends before entering her team's room.

"So." Orchid said awkwardly. "Who else is hungry?" said Orchid.

"There should be some snacks in the room," Diesel assured his sister. "Let's hope that the meeting goes by fast enough." He took out his keys to open the dorm room door.

"I made extra pancakes if she wants some,"a male voice called from inside team JNPR's room.

"Ren! I didn't know you were listening," said Pyrrha.

A black haired boy with a pink streak in his hair came out the room. "Do we have new people?"

"Yes," said Pyrrha. "Where's Nora and Jaune? I want them to meet the new students."

Ren sighed. "Jaune is resting and Nora is taking a shower, singing 'I'm Queen of the Castle' at the top of her lungs."

"Well since, you're the only one here, Ren these are the new transfer students."

Orchid jumped forward. "Hello I'm Orchid Artorias, and this is my brother Diesel!"

Ren bowed. "Nice to meet you two."

"Oooohhh...new friends!" said a high female voice. A orange-haired girl walked out in white pajamas and pink slippers.

"Ahh...Nora, perfect timing. These are the new transfer students." said Pyrrha.

"Yes, I know, I heard their names from behind the door." Nora turned to Ren. "By the way, we need more syrup."

"You drank it all didn't you?" Ren shook his head and sighed. "Again."

"Well you KNOW I have a sweet tooth!" Nora giggled.

"I'm locking down the syrup from now on.." said Ren, facepalming.

"So, what's your name?" Nora said as she approached Rebecca.

"Fuck off, I'm not in the mood." said snatched the room key from Diesel and went into their room.

"Nice to meet you Fuck Off!" Nora called after her, waving. "My name's Nora Valkyrie!"

"Nora, that's not really her name." said Pyrrha, sighing.

"It's not? Then how about Jack Off?" said Nora

"NORA!" said Pyrrha and Ren

"I'm kidding." said Nora, holding up her hands.

"Her name is Rebecca," said Diesel. "Please forgive her, she's a bit on edge because her brother Crimson and Blake turned a little aura demonstration into an all out war."

"WAIT WHAT?!" said Nora, and Ren

"Can you guys keep it down?" A yawning blonde-haired boy appeared in the doorway this time.

"Apologies, Jaune, we didn't mean to wake you." said Pyrrha.

"Who are those guys?" Jaune motioned to the new students in the hall.

"Hello, I'm Diesel," Diesel introduced, " and this is my sister Orchid, our partner Rebecca is in the room." said Diesel

"Hello!" Orchid said, smiling gently.

Jaune blushed at the girls' smile. "Well it's, um, nice to meet. You all, I mean. It's nice. To meet you all." Jaune stammered before yawning again.

As Team JNPR and Team DRCO were getting acquainted with each other, Miss Goodwitch entered the hallway, four scrolls in hand. She had just come from delivering Blake and Crimson to Ozpin's office. She cleared her throat before speaking.

"Team DRCO, I'm pleased you have made it to your rooms and are meeting some of your fellow students, but I believe I instructed you to go straight to your rooms."

W-we're sorry Mrs. Goodwitch. We were just making friends." Orchid stammered.

Miss Goodwitch nodded her head."If you all wish to continue this conversation, you may do so via your new scrolls. Make sure Crimson gets his when he returns from the meeting with Professor Ozpin." Miss Goodwitch handed Diesel the scrolls, small semi-transparent rectangles that had buttons to access the communications network and Aura stats. He passed one to his sister, keeping two in his hand.

Just to be clear." Miss Goodwitch continued, "None of you are in trouble." Jaune could be seen breathing a visible sigh of relief. "Because of the seemingly personal nature of Mr. Maxwell and Mrs. Belladonna's altercation, it was in the best interest of the school to put both teams under lockdown. I am asking all of you, including Team JNPR to keep this under wraps." Her bright green eyes glinted behind her glasses. "Am I understood?" said Goodwitch.

"Yes Ma'am," they all replied. No one even thought about arguing.

"Good. You will be allowed to go down to the cafeteria shortly, once the rest of the student body has finished. In the meantime, I expect all of you to stay in your rooms until I contact you." Goodwitch said and then left.

"It was nice meeting you all," Ren said politely and headed into the room.

"Well, Juane, I guess we can take this time to study. You've been falling behind in Ooblecks class." said Pyrrha

"Ok, fine." said Juane, sounding not too happy about it.

With introductions over, the three teams entered their rooms and continued to talk in private.

End Chapter


	2. Truth and Reconciliation…Or Not

Chapter 2: Truth and Reconciliation…Or Not.

With the Assembly Hall incident now over, the students were free to move about the campus at their leisure. Except for two: Blake Belladona and Crimson Maxwell, the two participants of the aura demonstration turned grudge match. For their efforts, they were disarm ex and escorted to Professor Ozpin's office. Thanks to the down time, their auras had repaired the damage the two fighters had inflicted on each other. However their memories of the battle were still fresh. As such, neither person was talking, seated on opposite sides of the hallway outside of Ozpin's office.

Crimson sat in the chair nearest to the door with his arms crossed. He was taking a nap while waiting for Professor Ozpin to return to his office. The only addition to his attire was a dusty black baseball cap with the letters "GRX" on the front in white letters with a red streak going diagonally through them. On the other side of the hallway, Blake sat with her hands in her lap and legs crossed. She had averted her eyes from Crimson, deciding to stare out the window at the cloudless blue sky.

The sound of clicking heels broke up their silent contemplation. Crimson opened his eyes and watched as Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch made their way towards the students.

"Mr. Maxwell, where did you get that hat?" Miss Goodwitch asked Crimson.

Crimson looked up at her and tipped his cap up so that his eyes were visible. "My dad's company makes them for promotional events. I could get you one if you'd like?"

"That's NOT what I meant." Ms. Goodwitch furrowed her brow at Crimson.

"I know what you meant," Crimson smirked and opened the right side of his jacket, revealing a pocket on the inside. "Had it on me the entire time."

"You should take this more seriously, Mr. Maxwell." Ms. Goodwitch scolded him. "We'll be with you and Miss Belladonna in a moment," She told him before entering the office behind Professor Ozpin. Ms. Goodwitch closed the door before sighing, while Ozpin walked towards the pitcher of tea behind his desk.

"I should have acted faster to stop them." Mrs Goodwitch sighed.

Ozpin didn't respond to her at first, instead grabbing a mug and pouring himself a cup of tea. "Ms. Goodwitch, did you watch that fight as intently as I did?"

"Yes, I did." Ms. Goodwitch answered.

"Well, did you notice how many times they could have struck the final blow, yet relented?" Ozpin asked before taking a sip.

"I did," Ms. Goodwitch answered, more hesitantly.

"Aren't you as curious as I am as to why, if they were so intent on killing one another, they held back?" Ozpin asked as he finally sat down.

Ms. Goodwitch gave Ozpin a disapproving look, but did not give any more objections.

"You may send them in." At Ozpin's command, Mrs Goodwitch opened the door and asked for Blake and Crimson to enter. Crimson entered first and sat down with a sigh. Blake sat down soon after, her eyes flashing quickly in Crimson's direction before looking straight at Ozpin.

"That was quite the display you two put on." Ozpin complimented both of them. Blake and Crimson said nothing in reply.

Ozpin continued. "If I were to guess, there were some personal feelings behind your actions?"

"Maybe…" Crimson's mumbling broke the silence between them.

"Whatever the issue, now is the time for both of you to talk about it, without holding each other at blade point." Miss Goodwitch told them.

"I have nothing to say." Blake said quietly. Crimson scoffed in reply. "Funny, you're speechless now? You seemed awfully talkative outside my window at 3am."

Ozpin sipped his tea and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Blake's eyes flashed again as she glared at Crimson. "I was TRYING save your life!"

Crimson sounded unconvinced. "You sure about that? You got there pretty late for someone on a rescue mission."

"By the time I knew what was going on, the attack was already under way; I did the best I could!" Blake shouted.

"Well the 'best you could do', got my old man crippled and put my sister in a coma for two months!" Crimson roared back.

Blake tried to reason with him. "But none of you DIED! A 'thank you for saving my life' would be nice!"

Her words fell on deaf ears. "A whole lot of 'saving' you did! You don't get a thank you for half finished jobs!"

Miss Goodwitch stepped forward. "Alright. That is enough you two..."

"Well the next time I get a chance to save a spoiled rich kid's life, I won't waste the effort!" Blake's eyes were full of rage.

"And the next time a half-wit with a guilty conscience knocks on my window, I'll roll over and go back to sleep!" Crimson glared right back at her.

Blake spoke through gritted teeth. "You do realize you'd be DEAD right now if you had."

Crimson raised his voice "Better than dealing with a second-rate, bitch!"

Ozpin raised his eyebrow again as he took another sip of tea.

Blake shot up from her chair and spoke in a threatening tone. "What did you say?!"

"You heard me! If you're gonna save a family, YOU SAVE A FUCKING FAMILY!" Crimson stood up and got face to face with Blake. Both of their hands were balled into fists as they stared one another down. With round two preparing to break out, Ms Goodwitch intervened.

"Mr. Maxwell, Miss Belladonna!" With a wave of her riding crop, the two were pushed apart, and back down into their seats.

Ozpin put his mug back down on the table and leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "Well, now that we have all of that in the open, I'm sure you'll have no more issues working together."

Blake and Crimson both say nothing.

"The headmaster asked you both a question." Miss Goodwitch said with a hint of agitation in her voice.

Both Blake and Crimson mumbled "Yes Headmaster." Ozpin smiled. "Good. And we can expect not to be putting weapons to our fellow classmates' throats anytime in the future?"

Crimson muttered, "No promises."

"What was that?" Miss Goodwitch's green eyes flashed.

"Nothing, ma'am." Crimson said quietly.

"Good." Ozpin said and leaned back in his chair. "You two are free to go now. Your weapons are waiting for you in your rooms. As I understand it, your rooms are on the same floor. Miss Belladonna, would you be so kind as to show Mr. Maxwell where his room is? It's room 406."

"Yes, sir." Blake said quietly.

" Then that will be all for now," Ozpin said. "And Mr. Maxwell?"

Crimson stopped on his way out the door. "Yes, sir?"

"Keep an eye on that sister of yours."

While Crimson and Blake were seeing the Headmaster, Ruby and Diesel were back in their rooms, talking via scrolls about Ruby's favorite subject: weapons.

"So this is my baby, Crescent Rose. I made it myself!" Ruby said excitedly. She held up Crescent Rose, a black and red scythe that transformed into a sniper rifle.

"Wow, amazing," said Diesel approvingly. He was just as fascinated with weapons as Ruby was.

"It's cool, right?" Ruby grinned "That's not even the coolest part! It also doubles as a sniper rifle! I can even use the rifle while in scythe form!" Ruby said with glee.

"That's really fascinating." Diesel nodded. "Sounds like you've been working hard on it since Beacon.".

"You have no idea." Ruby giggled.

"Well, now that I've seen yours, let me show you my weapons." Diesel said. He went to reach for his katanas when Ruby interrupted him.

"Weapons? I remember you only having one. I remember when you and I took out final exam together. I specifically recall you having a broadsword that converted itself into a shotgun, that could be used simultaneously as a blade and ranged weapon." Ruby said

Diesel showed off two katanas that looked to be collapsable.

"Ruby let me introduce you too my two babies, Jet Wolf and Crimson Fang. Jet Wolf can convert itself into a pistol which can be fired single shot, semi-auto, and full auto with the flick of a switch. Crimson Fang can be turned into a assault rifle that fires in the same way as Jet Wolf. The only downside is that I can't dual wield them both while In gun form." said Diesel.

Ruby was speechless. "I've never seen that before! Gun katanas! So cool!"

"Yeah, it really is." said Diesel.

"But what happened to your old weapon?" Ruby asked.

"Ah. That. It was taken from me….a long time ago. I know who took it, and I know she still has it. And I will get it back...someday." said Diesel with sadness in his eyes.

"II know you will get it back, and I'll be there to help you. I would be devastated if I lost Crescent Rose." said Ruby.

"By the way Ruby, may I ask you a question?" asked Diesel.

"Ask away."

"What's the deal with your partner Blake?"

Ruby sat back and thought of the best way to word her response."Blake is, uh, mysterious. She's kinda different from us…" Ruby said

"Mysterious how?" asked Diesel

" Well...Blake likes to keep to herself. And she doesn't really talk about her past. " Ruby counted the reasons on her fingers. "She can also be very sarcastic. But she warms up when you get to know her!...Slightly." Ruby said with a nervous chuckle.

"I see." Diesel shrugged. "Well I hope I can meet up with her face to face soon."

"I wish you luck." Ruby smiled softly. "Well I need to get to studying. I'll talk to you later."

"Peace." Diesel waved before signing off the call.

"Diesel, do we have any soda?" said Orchid.

"I think there's a soda machine in the hallway; I'll go get us something to drink. Rebecca, you want something?" asked Diesel, moving towards the door.

"A Cola." Rebecca didn't look up from her book when she gave her reply.

"Okay, be right back," Diesel said as he left the room.

"Diesel seems really interested in Blake, doesn't he?" said Orchid.

Rebecca looked up from her book and shook her head.

"What's your problem?" Orchid cocked an eyebrow.

"It's just going to bite him in the ass. She's bad news." Rebecca snapped.

Outside, Diesel was buying three drinks: Grape for Orchid, a Cola for Rebecca, and Lime for himself. After collecting the sodas, he turned around and bumped into someone. He heard a stranger hit the ground with a thud.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" Diesel asked a girl with wavy black hair and a matching black bow.

"Oh no, it's my fault. I wasn't paying attention," said the girl on the floor.

"Here let me help you," Diesel extended his hand. The girl took it.

"Hey, I recognize you..." Diesel said. "You're Blake right? You were the one in the aura demonstration!" said Diesel

"Yes, I assume you were there, just like the rest of the school." Blake deadpanned. "And you are?" she asked flatly.

"My name is Diesel my good lady," he bowed to her.

"Aren't you one of the transfer students from Signal?" Blake narrowed her eyes. "You came here with Crimson, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. I take it that you and him have history?" Diesel replied uneasily.

"That's personal." Blake said uneasily

"My apologies. I didn't mean to pry into your personal life." said Diesel with a bow

"It's alright, it's just something that I don't like bringing up." Blake said

Diesel and Blake were in the middle of their chat, when Crimson walked by, glaring at Diesel

"What's his problem?" Diesel thought.

"I don't think he likes you talking to me." Blake said with sadness in her eyes.

Diesel put his hand to Blake's face.

"Don't stress yourself out. I can deal with Crimson. Besides, he's not gonna stop me from talking to you. I control my own destiny." Diesel said.

Blake looked at Diesel and nodded. Suddenly there was commotion coming from Diesel's room

"I'd better go. It was nice meeting you Blake. I'll see you soon." Diesel said and he hurried to his room.

Blake watched him go, and a smile formed on her lips. Once Diesel walked into the room, he was greeted to Crimson and Orchid having a shouting match.

"WHAT THE HELL YOU MEAN MY BROTHER CAN'T TALK TO BLAKE!" yelled Orchid from her bed.

She's dangerous, that's why!" Crimson yelled back.

"Dangerous to who?! The only one that seems to have a problem with her is you!" Orchid screamed. "Mostly because you picked a fight with her within three minutes of meeting her!"

"I had a reason!" Crimson spiked his hat into the ground.

"And what reason is that?!" Orchid inquired.

"It's private." Crimson said through gritted teeth.

"So you want us to just take your word for it? Just like that?" Orchid jumped off her bunk and stood toe to toe with Crimson.

Diesel then piped up.

"Let me tell you something Crimson, I decide who I want to talk to. You don't get to dictate my decisions. Just because you and Blake have history, doesn't mean that you can prevent me from associating with her." Diesel said with anger in his eyes

"So you're gonna trust some strange girl over your own damn teammate?!" yelled Rebecca

"Without any information to go on other than your word, yes!" Diesel shouted.

"Fuck it..." Crimson picked up his hat and started towards the door. "You want to talk to her, go right ahead, but when shit hits the fan, don't come crying to me!" Crimson grabbed his weapons and put them on before leaving the room.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Orchid through her hands up and sighed. "Your brother is such a drama queen."

"You wanna run that by me one more time?!" Rebecca growled and started to move towards Orchid.

"Now don't you two start!" Diesel glared at them both. "I don't know what's going on, but it's not going to be solved by the four of us going for each other's throats!"

"Sorry, bro." Orchid said

"Whatever." Rebecca huffed. "So, who wants to go find him, before he tries to kill Blake a third time?"

"Your brother isn't stupid, he wouldn't go after her a third time." Diesel said.

"You obviously don't know my brother." Rebecca rolled her eyes.

Diesel tried to reassure her. "He may be a hothead, but he's no fool."

"You'd be surprised." Rebecca sat back on her bed and opened her scroll.

"What are you doing?" Orchid asked.

"Calling someone that Crimson won't chew out immediately." Rebecca never took her eyes off her scroll as she replied. "Hey Yang? We could use a favor…"

Instead of hunting down Blake for a third time, Crimson found himself on the roof. He sat against the far wall, staring out at the evening sky. His face was shaded from the setting sun by the hat still on his head. He was alone with his thoughts on what had happened that , the door to the roof opened, and Yang walked out. She turned to face him and waved, but Crimson was not in the mood for kind greetings.

"What do you want, Yang?" He grumbled.

Yang was caught off guard by his gruff reply "I...just wanted to know why you tried to kill my best friend earlier today."

Crimson sucked his teeth and looked away from Yang. "I did NOT try to kill your best friend."

"Yeah...because banging her head into the ground repeatedly means nothing." Yang said sarcastically.

"I was trying to teach her a lesson." Crimson said. "It...got out of hand…"

"Right…" Yang shook her head. "What's with you two, anyway?"

Crimson sighed and got up from his seat on the ground. "It's complicated." He dusted himself off and walked over to the railing. He placed his arms on it and leaned forward as Yang walked over and stood next to him with her back against the rail.

"Complicated...how?" Yang asked.

"Don't worry about it." Crimson said through gritted teeth. "Anyway, I'm fine now, you can go back downstairs." Silence fell over the two again. But Yang didn't move.

"So..." She seemed to want to take his mind off things. "You use gauntlets too, huh?"

"Yeah, I made em myself." Crimson smiled and raised his right arm to show off Saffron Aero.

"You know, I have a pair of gauntlets myself." Yang said proudly." They're gold, and beautiful… and they help me punch through walls with their mini grenade launcher/shotguns."

"How the heck do you keep that from blowing your hand off?" Crimson asked out of concern mostly given his own experiments.

"Their HEAVILY insulated." Yang said.

"See, I had an issue with chamber explosions with these because of the rounds I use." Crimson squeezed the handle on his right gauntlet, and three seven inch gun barrels sprang forth. "See, the two on the side shoot standard ammunition, but the ones on the top shoot explosive rounds."

Yang did a double take. "Did you say EXPLOSIVE rounds?"

Crimson grinned. "Yeah."

"That's CRAZY!" Yang exclaimed. Then she paused. "I like it."

"Well thank you." Crimson chuckled. "My mother didn't like it when I blew a hole in the workshop wall."

"Speaking of your mother..." Yang said. Crimson grimaced. He knew this was coming eventually. "How did your mother become so…"

"Hateful?" Crimson finished her sentence then took a deep breath. He turned back to look out at the main building. "My mom's parents grew up in a time when Human-Faunus relations were at their worst. They taught their little girl that Faunus were the product of a curse from God. As such, she grew up resenting them so much that she got into politics with the sole purpose of tearing down what few gains the Faunus had made."

"Wow. Your mother's...kind of a bitch." Yang rubbed the back of her neck and braced for his reply. Surprisingly, Crimson took it quite well.

"Tell me about it…" Crimson actually cracked a bit of a smile.

Yang cocked her head to the side. "Yet you came out so normal."

"I guess you can say that…" Crimson nodded slowly and looked at her.

"How?" Yang asked flatly.

Crimson pointed at his hat. "The man that gave me this, my father."

Yang nodded. "What's he like?"

Crimson smiled proudly. "My dad's a good man. He never bought into the Faunus hatred. Instead, he lived his life and built his company on the principle that all people are created equal."

"So...and forgive me for this…." Yang turned her body to face him. "What in the HELL does he see in your mother?"

Crimson struggled to hold back a laugh. "Ya know, I ask myself that all the time. The way he tells it is that he sees the goodness in her. He's been trying to work on her. You know, soften her stance a little?"

Yang nodded. She rested her right hand on her chin as she listened.

"Well, he tried his best. Got her to ratchet down some of her rhetoric." Crimson continued. "He didn't want his kids to grow up with the same hatred in their hearts that was permeating throughout the rest of humanity. Mom was just about to turn the corner." Crimson paused and his head dropped.

"And then the attack happened..." Yang said softly.

"Yeah…" Crimson said quietly. "Thanks to the White Fang, Dad ended up in a wheelchair, Rebecca ended up in a coma, and mom? Well, she became even more racist than before."

Yang leaned into him and put her arm around Crimson. "You know Crimson, your childhood sucked."

Crimson looked at her with a look half way between confused and angry. But before he could speak Yang put a finger to his lips.

"Ah ah, ah don't speak." Yang smiled gently. "Despite the crap you went through, you came out okay. That something to be proud of." Yang took her finger away from Crimson's mouth. For his part, Crimson was trying his best to fight back a blush.

"You really think so?" Crimson asked as he looked into Yang's eyes.

"Definitely." Yang squeezed him gently with her arm. Crimson blushed even harder, and rested his hand on hers.

"Thanks Yang." Crimson rested his head against hers. The pair stood in silence until the door creaked open, and Jaune and Pyrrha stepped out.

"Now today, Jaune, we'll work on…" Pyrrha's instruction tailed off as she caught sight of Yang and Crimson. "Umm, are we interrupting?"

Crimson and Yang both jumped apart, blushing madly from embarrassment

"Whoa...Yang...working fast don't you think?" Jaune chuckled. Yang scowled at him.

"S-shut up Jaune." Yang stammered.

"Actually, she was helping me think some things through," Crimson said and gently patted Yang's shoulder.

"That's very nice of you, Yang." Pyrrha smiled softly.

"I t-t-think I'll head down now.." Crimson said. "Thanks again, Yang. I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow?"

"Y-yeah…"Yang sputtered out."Oh, and Crimson," she reminded him, "I think there's some people downstairs you need to apologize to."

Crimson pulled his hat back down over his eyes to hide the blush.. "Yeah, you're right," he said before walking towards the door. Pyrrha and Jaune moved out of his way, allowing Crimson to head downstairs. Once he left, the three of them stood in silence.

"So…" Jaune awkwardly broke the silence. "You got the hots for the new ki-"

"Jaune…" Pyrrha put her hand on Jaune's mouth, seeing Yang ball her fists. "If you know what's good for you, you won't finish that sentence."


End file.
